The 87th Armored Field Artillery Battalion Memorial at Fort Sill, OK AN 87TH M-7 105MM HOWITZER IN BELGIUM The "tank" pictured is a 105 MM Howitzer. Commonly known as an M7. Each of the three Firing Batteries, (A,B,C) in the 87th AFA Bn. had six of these weapons, making a total of 18 in the entire Battalion. The M7 shown is from "C" Battery as it was going through Spa, Belgium on its way into Germany in 1944. A BRIEF RESUME OF THE 87TH AFABn The 1st Battalion, 87th Field Artillery was organized in July 1940 in Panama using cadres of infantry and artillery personnel of other units. Redesignated the 87th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, it was transferred to Ft. Knox, Kentucky, arriving in April 1943. (see History of the 87th in the website Homepage) After extensive reorganization and intensive training, the battalion completed readiness tests and departed for Camp Shanks, New York in early December 1943. In early January 1944, the 87th sailed from the United States to Great Britain aboard the QUEEN ELIZABETH I. Billeted in the Atterbury-Banbury area of England, the battali0n participated in advanced training until loading on Libery ships at Cardiff, Wales on 2 June, 1944. The first elements of the 87th went into combat in Normandy.* France on D-Day -- 6 June, 1944 when liaison personnel landed by glider with the 82nd Airborne Division inland from UTAH Beach. Three officers and twenty-five enlisted personnel crossed the English Channel on the personnel ship, SUSAN B. ANTHONY. This vessel struck a floating mine and sank. All of the 87th personnel were rescued and landed on OMAHA and UTAH Beaches on 7 June. The rest of the battalion remained aboard ship being shelled and attacked b by the German Luftwaffe until all combat elements were finally ashore on UTAH Beach by D+3, 9 June, 1944. The 87th first supported the 101st Airborne Division in its attack on Carentan, and then, the 82nd Airborne Division until the 82nd was relieved by the 8th Infantry Division. On 9 July, the 87th was attached to the 3rd Armored Division supporting it in the breakout from Normandy and the rapid advance across Northern France *. On 1 September, it joined the 4th Armored Cavalry Group screening the flank and rear of the 7th Corps in the advance to the Siegfried line. In November and December, it supported the 104th Inf. Div. in the Rhineland *, east of Aachen, Germany to the Roer River. From 23 December, 1944 to 18 January, the 87th was attached to the 2nd Armored Division in the Ardennes* (the Bulge) in the operations to contain and defeat the last German offensive. After a short rest, the battalion returned to support the 104th Infantry Division across the Roer River and then rejoined the 4th Armored Cavalry Group across the Rhine River into Central Europe *, completing combat operations in the Harz Mountains in May, 1945. The 87th expended 161,716 rounds of 105mm ammunition in combat. During operations in Europe, the battalion was known by its radio telephone security code ID "JEOPARD" After a brief participation in the Occupation of Germany, "JEOPARD" was inactivated in July, 1945. *Note: The underlined geographic names (also in red) designate the major campaigns in which the 87th participated. They are represented by stars on the EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN ribbon, and are illustrated below. NOTE: One (1) silver star equals five (5) bronze stars. EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN RIBBON Star #1--Normandy Campaign Star #2--Northern France Campaign Star #3--Rhineland Campaign Star #4--Ardennes Campaign Star #5--Central Europe Campaign UNIT AWARDS FRENCH CROIX DE GUERRE WITH SILVER GILT STAR Awarded under Decision No. 247, 15 July, 1946, by the President of the Provisional Government of the French Republic, with the following citation: "A fine unit which was particularly outstanding in the course of the battles of Boisbenitre-Colouvroy on 2 August, 1944. Caught by fierce artillery fire and attacked by superior forces, it reacted instantaneously with all of its resources, cutting off access to important roads. This averted a serious threat to the flank of the Armored Division." BELGIAN ARMY CITATION Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army, by decree No. 3864, 28 April, 1947 by Charles, Prince of Belgium, Regent of the Kingdom. For citation, see "2nd Armored Division's" second citation only quoted below: "During the German offensive of the Ardennes, in December, 1944, the 2nd Armored Division was located in Germany, on the banks of the Roer River * between Linnich and Julich. On 21 December, 1944 it received orders to proceed to the region of Havelange, Avin Clavier. This movement of more than 100 miles was accomplished in less than 224 hours and on 23 December, 1944 the Division established contact with hostile forces at Celles. From the 23rd to the 28th of December violent engagements developed in the Celles salient and brough about the total destruction of the spearhead division of the Fifth Panzer Army. The victory blocked the German advance and prevented it from reaching the Meuse. From thence on, the Division pushed back the enemy forces and after having retaken many communities of the Ardennes region, it liberated the town of Houffalize." * As was also the 87th AFA Battalion. LETTERS OF COMMENDATION HEADQUARTERS VII CORPS OFFICE OF THE COMMANDING GENERAL Colonel John C. Macdonald Commanding Officer, 4th Cavalry Group APO 307, United States Army Dear Colonel Macdonald: With the end of the war in Europe, I wish to express to you and to the officers and men of the 4th Cavalry Group, reinforced, my admiration and deep appreciation for the magnificent job the group has done throughout the campaign of the VII Corps in Europe. The 4th Cavalry Group landed in Normandy, some elements on "D" Day, the remainder of the Group a short time after D-day, and performed exceptionally valuable service in the typical cavalry role of protecting the flanks of the VII Corps during the Cherbourg Campaign. A similar task was performed following the breakthrough at St. Lo-Marigny, and then the group was employed to link up the 1st Division at Mayenne with the south flank of the remainder of the divisions of the corps near Le Teilleul during the great defensive battle of Mortain. Following the deployment of the corps north of the Seine, the 4th Cavalry Group took on a new character and began to play the role of a light mechanized Brigade that was to be of tremendous importance to the future operations of the VII Corps. Reinforced by the 759th Light Tank Battalion, 635th Tank Destroyer Battalion, 87th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, a battalion of infantry and a company of engineers, the 4th Cavalry Group was assigned the mission of seizing Charleville-Mezieres and of filling the widening gap between the left of the Third Army and the bulk of the VII Corps which had been ordered to the north into Belgium. This task, for which an infantry division had been contemplated, was performed with consummate skill and daring, and the entire area Rethel-Mezieres-Givet was was quickly cleared of the enemy in time to permit the 4th Cavalry Group to proceed across the Meuse in protection of the south flank of the corps in its drive into Germany. In the subsequent fighting for Aachen, the 4th Cavalry Group held a frontage at times of 15,000 yards in the Hurtgen Forest and south thereof, thus permitting the concentration of the divisions of the corps to crack the Siegfried Line and seize Aachen. Every known device was used to deceive the enemy of the actual strength of the cavalry group, and men of all branches often fought as infantry to the confusion of the German command. Space does not permit a detailed resume of the subsequent fighting of the cavalry group, but the same high performance of duty was exemplified in the Ardennes fighting, in the drive from the Roer to the Erft and the Rhine, during the envelopment of the Ruhr and in the final operations of the Harz Mountains. The group has consistently shown itself versatile, rugged, and willing to take on any mission assigned it. It has more than done its share in speeding up the great sweeping movements of the corps and permitting the concentration of mass to further our main effort. Please convey to each of your officers and men my profound appreciation of their soldierly qualities, and wish them all for me the very best of success and good luck in their future endeavors. Faithfully yours, /s/t/J. LAWTON COLLINS Lieutenant General, U.S. Army Commanding HEADQUARTERS 4TH CAVALRY GROUP, APO758, U.S. ARMY TO: Commanding Officer, 87th Armored Field Artillery Battalion APO 758, U.S. Army This grateful letter acknowledging your soldierly qualities in combat is transmitted to you direct with my deep appreciation and respects, not only for your gallant and effective accomplishment of all your battle missions, but also for the great American esprit de corps which as soldier citizens or citizen soldiers you displayed in serving your country in time of war. You are typical of the heroes of the past who won and preserved honor and freedom for the United States of America. You enjoy a priceless heritage and stand in a glorious tradition and you have added luster to both through your service with the Fourth United States Cavalry Group, Reinforced. The war in Europe is over and while there is yet another victory to be won, for many of you, the end of this phase means a well merited return to civil life and to your loved ones. In the years to come I hope that your efforts, in every endeavor, will be blessed with the success you so rightly deserve. To those who go on to other battlefields in the Far East, I wish success, an early end of the final phase of the war, and safe return to your homes. No matter where you go, let each remember with respect our gallant dead and say a prayer for them and their loved ones, to whom they can never return, because of their patriotism and sacrifice. This letter must also be my farewell to this great regiment and its reinforcements. Having lived and thrived as your commander in the reflected glory of your accomplishments I am being given an opportunity for advancement in a larger field of military service. I am humbly conscious of the fact that you are sending me there, and, I promise to keep the faith and be worthy of the great opportunity you have given me. /s/t/ JOHN C. MACDONALD Colonel, Cavalry, Commanding THE MEMORIAL Front View Description Rear View The Memorial is a gray granite monument, 5 feet 6 inches tall, 19x19 inches square. Engravings on the front and back include a list of those killed in action, unit and individual awards, and major campaigns in which the battalion participated with units supported. Engraved on each side are tread marks of the M-7 self-propelled vehicle. An image of the M-7 is engraved on a black marble slab positioned on the front of the monument. The battalion crest, a real shield containing a Bushmaster snake in a shell-burst, fabricated from red marble and other durable materials, is mounted on the sloping top. THE LAWTON CONSTITUTION Friday Oct. 10, 1997 With a Fort Sill honor guard in attendance, World War II veterans Edward Jackson, left, and Eugene Colvin, unveil Constitution Park's newest monument, a memorial to the 87th Armored Field Artillery. The unveiling took place during a Thursday ceremony attended by dozens of 87th veterans and family members. "BUSHMASTERS" MEMORIAL DEDICATED AT FORT SILL They were called "The Bushmasters" and their saga began 57 years ago in the jungles of Panama. That saga stretched from there to Fort Knox, and on to the beaches of Normandy and beyond into the shattered heart of Hitler's Germany. The saga of the 87th Armored Field Artillery Battalion reached a fitting symbolic finale Thursday at Fort Sill, as some of the unit's surviving members--including two of its commanders--and their families assembled in Constitution Park for the dedication of a stone monument to the unit and to its 20 members killed in action. With military pomp provided by the 77th Army Band and by a Fort Sill color guard, members of the 87th AFA Association shared their memories of danger and camaraderie. They were also lauded by Fort Sill's chief of staff, Col. Herbert Brown, representating the post's commanding general. "You deployed at a moment's notice, you performed magnificently," Brown told the surviving Bushmasters. "We aspire to be like you." Having researched the 87th's history, Brown said the unit became famous for its quick deployment and close teamwork. He said these qualities were "the mark of the highest esprit de corps." Five of the 87th's surviving members--Earl Schrader, George Aubrey, George Barber, David Olson, and Eugene Colvin--recounted the unit's history, starting with its organization in June, 1940, in Panama, where its towed guns helped protect the vital Canal Zone as war clouds threatened. It was in Panama, Schrader recalled, that the 87th got its unit emblem, a deadly tropical snake, coiled to strike. Aubrey told of the 87th's rushed training at Fort Knox and in England, while Barber--who commanded the unit until he was wounded in March, 1945 and replaced by Aubrey--recounted its functions of command and reconnaissance. Olson told of the continuing bond which has held the unit's survivors together in the years since its deactivation in July, 1945. Colvin recounted details about the 20 Bushmasters killed in action. Also present at the ceremony was Bill Crowdis, the sculptor who designed and crafted the 2,500-pound $4,000 all-granite monument. It was noted that Crowdis came up with the idea for the stone's most distinctive feature: the V-shaped marks on the sides, representing the track marks of an armored vehicle. The ceremony ended with the unveiling of the stone memorial, which was topped with the 87th's coiled snake emblem and the radio code-word by which the unit was known: " Jeopard". MEMORIAL DEDICATION CEREMONY Lt. Col. George F. Barber during 87th Memorial Dedication. Ft. Sill color guard and 77th Army Band at Memorial Dedication. Paul Garretson and Charlie Bell standing beside the 87th Memorial at Ft. Sill, OKSubmitted by Charlie's daughter, Lynore Bell Camuccio. Return To Homepage
AN 87TH M-7 105MM HOWITZER IN BELGIUM
The "tank" pictured is a 105 MM Howitzer. Commonly known as an M7. Each of the three Firing Batteries, (A,B,C) in the 87th AFA Bn. had six of these weapons, making a total of 18 in the entire Battalion. The M7 shown is from "C" Battery as it was going through Spa, Belgium on its way into Germany in 1944.
After extensive reorganization and intensive training, the battalion completed readiness tests and departed for Camp Shanks, New York in early December 1943. In early January 1944, the 87th sailed from the United States to Great Britain aboard the QUEEN ELIZABETH I. Billeted in the Atterbury-Banbury area of England, the battali0n participated in advanced training until loading on Libery ships at Cardiff, Wales on 2 June, 1944.
The first elements of the 87th went into combat in Normandy.* France on D-Day -- 6 June, 1944 when liaison personnel landed by glider with the 82nd Airborne Division inland from UTAH Beach. Three officers and twenty-five enlisted personnel crossed the English Channel on the personnel ship, SUSAN B. ANTHONY. This vessel struck a floating mine and sank. All of the 87th personnel were rescued and landed on OMAHA and UTAH Beaches on 7 June. The rest of the battalion remained aboard ship being shelled and attacked b by the German Luftwaffe until all combat elements were finally ashore on UTAH Beach by D+3, 9 June, 1944. The 87th first supported the 101st Airborne Division in its attack on Carentan, and then, the 82nd Airborne Division until the 82nd was relieved by the 8th Infantry Division.
On 9 July, the 87th was attached to the 3rd Armored Division supporting it in the breakout from Normandy and the rapid advance across Northern France *. On 1 September, it joined the 4th Armored Cavalry Group screening the flank and rear of the 7th Corps in the advance to the Siegfried line. In November and December, it supported the 104th Inf. Div. in the Rhineland *, east of Aachen, Germany to the Roer River. From 23 December, 1944 to 18 January, the 87th was attached to the 2nd Armored Division in the Ardennes* (the Bulge) in the operations to contain and defeat the last German offensive. After a short rest, the battalion returned to support the 104th Infantry Division across the Roer River and then rejoined the 4th Armored Cavalry Group across the Rhine River into Central Europe *, completing combat operations in the Harz Mountains in May, 1945.
The 87th expended 161,716 rounds of 105mm ammunition in combat. During operations in Europe, the battalion was known by its radio telephone security code ID "JEOPARD"
After a brief participation in the Occupation of Germany, "JEOPARD" was inactivated in July, 1945.
*Note: The underlined geographic names (also in red) designate the major campaigns in which the 87th participated. They are represented by stars on the EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN ribbon, and are illustrated below. NOTE: One (1) silver star equals five (5) bronze stars.
EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN RIBBON
UNIT AWARDS
* As was also the 87th AFA Battalion.
LETTERS OF COMMENDATION
Dear Colonel Macdonald:
With the end of the war in Europe, I wish to express to you and to the officers and men of the 4th Cavalry Group, reinforced, my admiration and deep appreciation for the magnificent job the group has done throughout the campaign of the VII Corps in Europe.
The 4th Cavalry Group landed in Normandy, some elements on "D" Day, the remainder of the Group a short time after D-day, and performed exceptionally valuable service in the typical cavalry role of protecting the flanks of the VII Corps during the Cherbourg Campaign. A similar task was performed following the breakthrough at St. Lo-Marigny, and then the group was employed to link up the 1st Division at Mayenne with the south flank of the remainder of the divisions of the corps near Le Teilleul during the great defensive battle of Mortain.
Following the deployment of the corps north of the Seine, the 4th Cavalry Group took on a new character and began to play the role of a light mechanized Brigade that was to be of tremendous importance to the future operations of the VII Corps. Reinforced by the 759th Light Tank Battalion, 635th Tank Destroyer Battalion, 87th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, a battalion of infantry and a company of engineers, the 4th Cavalry Group was assigned the mission of seizing Charleville-Mezieres and of filling the widening gap between the left of the Third Army and the bulk of the VII Corps which had been ordered to the north into Belgium. This task, for which an infantry division had been contemplated, was performed with consummate skill and daring, and the entire area Rethel-Mezieres-Givet was was quickly cleared of the enemy in time to permit the 4th Cavalry Group to proceed across the Meuse in protection of the south flank of the corps in its drive into Germany.
In the subsequent fighting for Aachen, the 4th Cavalry Group held a frontage at times of 15,000 yards in the Hurtgen Forest and south thereof, thus permitting the concentration of the divisions of the corps to crack the Siegfried Line and seize Aachen. Every known device was used to deceive the enemy of the actual strength of the cavalry group, and men of all branches often fought as infantry to the confusion of the German command.
Space does not permit a detailed resume of the subsequent fighting of the cavalry group, but the same high performance of duty was exemplified in the Ardennes fighting, in the drive from the Roer to the Erft and the Rhine, during the envelopment of the Ruhr and in the final operations of the Harz Mountains. The group has consistently shown itself versatile, rugged, and willing to take on any mission assigned it. It has more than done its share in speeding up the great sweeping movements of the corps and permitting the concentration of mass to further our main effort.
Please convey to each of your officers and men my profound appreciation of their soldierly qualities, and wish them all for me the very best of success and good luck in their future endeavors. Faithfully yours, /s/t/J. LAWTON COLLINS Lieutenant General, U.S. Army Commanding
This grateful letter acknowledging your soldierly qualities in combat is transmitted to you direct with my deep appreciation and respects, not only for your gallant and effective accomplishment of all your battle missions, but also for the great American esprit de corps which as soldier citizens or citizen soldiers you displayed in serving your country in time of war. You are typical of the heroes of the past who won and preserved honor and freedom for the United States of America. You enjoy a priceless heritage and stand in a glorious tradition and you have added luster to both through your service with the Fourth United States Cavalry Group, Reinforced.
The war in Europe is over and while there is yet another victory to be won, for many of you, the end of this phase means a well merited return to civil life and to your loved ones. In the years to come I hope that your efforts, in every endeavor, will be blessed with the success you so rightly deserve. To those who go on to other battlefields in the Far East, I wish success, an early end of the final phase of the war, and safe return to your homes.
No matter where you go, let each remember with respect our gallant dead and say a prayer for them and their loved ones, to whom they can never return, because of their patriotism and sacrifice.
This letter must also be my farewell to this great regiment and its reinforcements. Having lived and thrived as your commander in the reflected glory of your accomplishments I am being given an opportunity for advancement in a larger field of military service. I am humbly conscious of the fact that you are sending me there, and, I promise to keep the faith and be worthy of the great opportunity you have given me.
/s/t/ JOHN C. MACDONALD Colonel, Cavalry, Commanding
Front View
Description
Rear View
The Memorial is a gray granite monument, 5 feet 6 inches tall, 19x19 inches square. Engravings on the front and back include a list of those killed in action, unit and individual awards, and major campaigns in which the battalion participated with units supported. Engraved on each side are tread marks of the M-7 self-propelled vehicle. An image of the M-7 is engraved on a black marble slab positioned on the front of the monument. The battalion crest, a real shield containing a Bushmaster snake in a shell-burst, fabricated from red marble and other durable materials, is mounted on the sloping top.
With a Fort Sill honor guard in attendance, World War II veterans Edward Jackson, left, and Eugene Colvin, unveil Constitution Park's newest monument, a memorial to the 87th Armored Field Artillery. The unveiling took place during a Thursday ceremony attended by dozens of 87th veterans and family members.
The saga of the 87th Armored Field Artillery Battalion reached a fitting symbolic finale Thursday at Fort Sill, as some of the unit's surviving members--including two of its commanders--and their families assembled in Constitution Park for the dedication of a stone monument to the unit and to its 20 members killed in action.
With military pomp provided by the 77th Army Band and by a Fort Sill color guard, members of the 87th AFA Association shared their memories of danger and camaraderie. They were also lauded by Fort Sill's chief of staff, Col. Herbert Brown, representating the post's commanding general.
"You deployed at a moment's notice, you performed magnificently," Brown told the surviving Bushmasters. "We aspire to be like you." Having researched the 87th's history, Brown said the unit became famous for its quick deployment and close teamwork. He said these qualities were "the mark of the highest esprit de corps."
Five of the 87th's surviving members--Earl Schrader, George Aubrey, George Barber, David Olson, and Eugene Colvin--recounted the unit's history, starting with its organization in June, 1940, in Panama, where its towed guns helped protect the vital Canal Zone as war clouds threatened. It was in Panama, Schrader recalled, that the 87th got its unit emblem, a deadly tropical snake, coiled to strike.
Aubrey told of the 87th's rushed training at Fort Knox and in England, while Barber--who commanded the unit until he was wounded in March, 1945 and replaced by Aubrey--recounted its functions of command and reconnaissance. Olson told of the continuing bond which has held the unit's survivors together in the years since its deactivation in July, 1945. Colvin recounted details about the 20 Bushmasters killed in action.
Also present at the ceremony was Bill Crowdis, the sculptor who designed and crafted the 2,500-pound $4,000 all-granite monument. It was noted that Crowdis came up with the idea for the stone's most distinctive feature: the V-shaped marks on the sides, representing the track marks of an armored vehicle.
The ceremony ended with the unveiling of the stone memorial, which was topped with the 87th's coiled snake emblem and the radio code-word by which the unit was known: " Jeopard".
Lt. Col. George F. Barber during 87th Memorial Dedication.
Ft. Sill color guard and 77th Army Band at Memorial Dedication.
Paul Garretson and Charlie Bell standing beside the 87th Memorial at Ft. Sill, OKSubmitted by Charlie's daughter, Lynore Bell Camuccio.
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